Crazy Parent Behavior

[February]

On recent trips to WDW (and there have been a couple this year...sorry I haven't been in touch with anybody, I have been in a tough place emotionally for a long time now...) I have seen a disturbing trend of parents flat out screaming at their kids in the parks for the smallest things. One woman got death glares from all of us and still kept going, I felt so bad for her little boy. I wonder if she is like this at Disney what is she like at home?

Kids get hungry. They need to go potty. They need naps and get overheated. They are humans. Those things do not stop because you paid park admission.

Parents need to grow the h3** up. For real.

Also disturbed by the trend of toddlers glued to smartphones while at WDW but that is a different thread...

Hope you all have been well!

xoxo

bru

[DisneyMom]

The Stress/ Expense of having the ONE Most Magical Day ever is too much....
Love my AP, I get to have many Magical Days, all different with different people/experiences.

Glad you got to Escape to your Happy Place, Bru, you deserve it!

[felinefan]

Apparently they've forgotten what it's like to be a kid.

Glad to hear from you again, Bru!

[Goofyernmost]

On recent trips to WDW (and there have been a couple this year...sorry I haven't been in touch with anybody, I have been in a tough place emotionally for a long time now...) I have seen a disturbing trend of parents flat out screaming at their kids in the parks for the smallest things. One woman got death glares from all of us and still kept going, I felt so bad for her little boy. I wonder if she is like this at Disney what is she like at home?

Kids get hungry. They need to go potty. They need naps and get overheated. They are humans. Those things do not stop because you paid park admission.

Parents need to grow the h3** up. For real.

Also disturbed by the trend of toddlers glued to smartphones while at WDW but that is a different thread...

Hope you all have been well!

xoxo

bru

I tend to cut them a little slack. None of us know what led up to that particular outburst so I do not feel that I can just say what a terrible parent that is. Also remember that parents are humans too and having raised two children, I can tell you that there are times when they scratch at your very last nerve.

If it's hot out then there is a good chance that the parents are also heavily affected by it as well. The mistake is that they didn't give themselves a break either and that is the major cause of the parental meltdown. Just like kids they react to the same stimuli and although they are considered adults and therefore should be mature enough to deal with things calmly, I found that sometimes letting the anger out and letting the child know that you very damn well mean what you are saying, has a calming affect on everyone. Many children have a built in manipulation gene that can be like fingernails on a chalkboard. They may look like angels, but, that is not always the case.

[felinefan]

My parents raised five of us kids. You did not ever get on anyone's last nerve, period. If I or my two younger sisters misbehaved, we got it from mom and dad, as well as our older brother and sister. Of course, this was the 60s, you were expected to behave--or else.

[Goofyernmost]

My parents raised five of us kids. You did not ever get on anyone's last nerve, period. If I or my two younger sisters misbehaved, we got it from mom and dad, as well as our older brother and sister. Of course, this was the 60s, you were expected to behave--or else.

I agree, and isn't that what the OP might have been witnessing? At one point in time every kid has gone over the line and ended up in a less then happy situation. It has been my experience that kids will test a parent when and where they think they are at their weakest. In this case, a theme park is a prime location. As much as I hated to be yelled at it was far better, in my mind, to the possible alternative. In other words, way to much is being made of a parental angry reaction. It's part of learning, not one any parent wants to administer, but, one that sometimes is necessary to gain control of situations. And before it's said, a kid does not have the right to control every situation. They lack the experience and judgment to decide their own fate at every turn. It is up to the parents to maintain control. If that means yelling at a kid in a public place that might upset a casual observer, well, that's what it means.

My thinking is that you got it from mom and dad because you got on their very last nerve, even if only once. For the smart kids, it was only once. I had two children and the oldest tested us all the time and it never was a happy ending for her. Her younger sister on the other hand, saw the results and she almost never tried to test us. That's the sign of a clever child.

[GaTechGal]

When my kids started up in the parks, we removed them from the situation. That might mean we sat at a bench in some secluded location until they calmed down or it meant that we went back to the room. And you really have to be willing to do that regardless of "how much you're paying for this vacation", but I just wasn't willing to ruin some OTHER family's vacation with my kid acting up. Really screaming at them in public is not necessary (and it can be embarrassing to other folks). I choose to do my hollering at them in private.

[Zazu]

At one point in time every kid has gone over the line and ended up in a less then happy situation. It has been my experience that kids will test a parent when and where they think they are at their weakest.

Clarke's Second Law applies to childhood too: "The only way to know where the limits are is to attempt to pass them and fail."

Smart kids learn by observation; normal kids have to learn for themselves; stupid kids stand a good chance of getting elected.

[YANXWIN]

When my kids started up in the parks, we removed them from the situation. That might mean we sat at a bench in some secluded location until they calmed down or it meant that we went back to the room. And you really have to be willing to do that regardless of "how much you're paying for this vacation", but I just wasn't willing to ruin some OTHER family's vacation with my kid acting up. Really screaming at them in public is not necessary (and it can be embarrassing to other folks). I choose to do my hollering at them in private.

After trying all sorts of parenting tactics, this one seems to work the best for our kids, and it has made for some happier vacations.